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Auto Delta, a successful partnership with TecDoc and Tips4y

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September 8, 2021

14 MIN of Reading

TIPS Talks with Marcelo Silva | General Director of Auto Delta

AutoDelta is one of the most important players in the aftermarket in Portugal and uses the TecDoc B2B Webshop (with purchasing module) as a solid platform to strengthen its position in the market and guarantee its growth.

We talked with Marcelo Silva, General Manager of AutoDelta, about his vision for the sector, the challenges of e-commerce, and the benefits of collaborating with TecDoc and Tips4y.

Tell us a little about yourself, about the business and the company Auto Delta

Auto Delta, which this year will celebrate its 45th anniversary, is one of the main Parts Distributors in Portugal. This long history has been marked by the gradual development of the operations of this family business: from a small retail store to a wholesale logic of importing components and their distribution in the national market. At the moment, Auto Delta's portfolio is surely one of the main in the Portuguese aftermarket, covering the needs of a constantly changing and diversifying car fleet, which ensures that all those who work with us have a high capacity to respond to the challenges that the market places on them daily.

See site Auto Delta

1.When was the TecDoc Webshop implemented? What was the objective?

A Webshop of TecDoc was implemented in the distant year of 2007 when the need to have a digital presence was not yet perceived as essential. Still, we believed in the product and made this bet not only to diversify our customer base, who could much more easily acquire products from us, but also to make the entire market aware of the real dimension of Auto Delta's portfolio.

2. What do you value most about using the TecDoc Webshop?

Given the tools and more effective responsiveness than the focus on TecDoc Webshop has provided us, we can without a doubt consider that it has been essential for achieving the results we have been striving for over the years. The credibility of the TecDoc Webshop and its data, the versatility of use, and an even better and safer shopping experience for our customers: all these are decisive factors for the success of our business and the tool itself.

3.How has eCommerce developed in the aftermarket in Portugal?

If a few years ago eCommerce was something taken with great attention by few or even as an eccentricity only used beyond borders, the truth is that those who are not present simply do not exist. The entry of giant platforms for marketing this type of product directly to the end consumer has further accelerated the digitization of a large part of those players who were still outside and losing sales opportunities. The truth is that currently, those who want to succeed in this market must have a well-defined eCommerce strategy, in this case B2B, with realistic objectives.

4.What changes and challenges do you think eCommerce might have in the aftermarket?

We do not believe in revolutions but rather in gradual adaptation processes and subsequent massification. This is how we started this commitment and, for a long time, the adoption was only gradual. The truth is that the pressure placed by B2C eCommerce platforms is quite high and poses great challenges for us in the future. Thus, like any wholesaler, we have to support, elucidate, and sponsor the efforts of our retail partners who suffer even more from this pressure, making them capable of responding and making a difference in the market where they are inserted.

5.What are your plans and ambitions for the future?

Our plans and ambitions are to fulfill in the future the designs of the founders of Auto Delta: Armindo Romão and Catarina Luísa who, with great effort, were able to sustain a growth seen by many as surprising, but that, "inside the house" is supported by a highly rational financial control philosophy combined with the creation of a portfolio that, proportionally, guarantees solutions for the overwhelming majority of cars that make up the national car fleet.

6.TecDoc launched Data Quality Management (DQM). How do you assess this initiative?

All tools that allow us to provide a better and safer service to our partners are very welcome by everyone. Data and its quality are essential in any business of the 21st century and, knowing that they have enormous influence on product choice, can indeed lead to a potential reduction in returns, a true scourge in the aftermarket.

7.What is your opinion about the new features like Smart Search or the Multi-Shopping Cart?

Effectively, the evolution of the platform we use and the tools made available to all those who use it continue to surprise us. If, on one hand, the Smart Search permits greater safety and confidence in the correct identification of components, the Multi-Shopping Cart allows even our commercial partners to accurately segment the content of their order. These innovations will allow an increase in confidence in the platform, a decisive factor for the success of Auto Delta's commercial strategy as well as for a possible reduction in returns, a true logistical and economic scourge in our sector.

8.How do you evaluate the partnership with TecAlliance and Tips4y over the years?

We can only praise this partnership that has been going on for a few years now. Auto Delta never forgets its partners and has much to thank them for, and in the case of the TecAlliance and the Tips4y, it is important to mention that this is a very long-lasting partnership and has been decisive for the results we have achieved over the years. Having said this and taking into account the growing investment and innovation of the platform, we can only predict the maintenance and deepening of this partnership for many more years.